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What WikiLeaks Has Taught Me: Editor of THISDAY, Mr. Simon Kolawole

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on December 14, 2010 at 1:55am

The revelations by WikiLeaks on US embassy cable leaks from Nigeria have confirmed one of my suspicions—that Nigerians are still firmly in the grip of colonial mentality. We easily let down our guard when we meet foreigners. Of course, many of the foreign journalists and diplomats in Nigeria are security agents. They are here to gather intelligence using different designations and doing different jobs. By virtue of the colour of their skin, they have access to key people in government who would prefer to talk to them rather than talk to a Nigerian journalist. The moment our leaders see a white skin, they open their doors wide. We Nigerian journalists have to endure the humiliation of relying on foreign media to report some of the happenings in our own country..

I was in Saudi Arabia two years ago for an oil industry summit. I was with a journalist who works for a foreign agency. As soon as she sighted an official of the NNPC, she excused herself, ran after him and came back a few minutes later. “Sorry Simon,” she said. “That’s the man who gives me the latest figures of production shut-in in the Niger Delta.” Inwardly, I was livid with rage. It is easier for a camel to pass thorough the pore of your skin than for a government official to oblige you with such information. It is “confidential”, they will tell you. Then you have to start quoting a foreign news agency to report the actual state of oil production in Nigeria. Colonial mentality!

All these funny guys come with all kinds of funny proposals to the Federal Government, agencies and the states. They usually call it “country report” or special report. They charge in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our people rush down the cheques to them. They publish the report and the adverts. The next day, they begin to badmouth “Muslim North” and “Christian South”. They begin to paint Nigeria as a country you should never visit because of 419, kidnappings and violence. Yet we keep wasting millions of dollars paying for their special reports every year. Serves us right. A fool and his money are soon parted.

The leaked cables indeed refreshed my thoughts on how cheaply we sell ourselves to outsiders. It is amazing the amount of confidential information foreigners have on us. We willingly give it to them. In one of the cables sent from the US embassy in Abuja to Washington, former Shell's vice-president for sub-Saharan Africa, Ann Pickard, boasted of how embedded the company was in government. She boasted that Shell had seconded employees to every relevant government department and so knew "everything that was being done in those ministries". Shell knew of the deliberations of government officials in the innermost circle. Pickard related how they obtained a letter showing that our government had invited bids for oil concessions from China. The transcript of a private meeting between a Nigerian minister and his Russian counterpart was in the possession of Shell a few hours later!

I picked up at least three messages from these leaked cables. One, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is good for us and these foreign companies will go to any length to frustrate it and make sure it is not passed into law. What may eventually be passed will be a watered-down version. Two, oyour porous internal security extends even to the highest offices in the land such that private conversations of top government officials are being taped without trace. Three, despite all its claim to liberalism and democratic rights, the Western world could be as manipulative as the Chinese and African dictatorships that they so often criticise with relish. It is easier to preach a message of freedom when you are not at the receiving end!

The Pickard woman complained that PIB was "very flawed", saying it could reduce Shell’s overall value in Nigeria. She said PIB was “nationalistic”. Read between the lines. It means, essentially, that the bill is in the interest of Nigeria. These foreigners would never like it. Since we started exploring oil in 1956, the monstrous upstream industry has been in the hands of foreign companies. NNPC, Norway’s Statoil and Malaysia’s Petronas were all set up as state-owned oil companies in the 1970s.

Today, the now renamed StatoilHydro is the biggest offshore oil and gas company in the world. Petronas is ranked by Fortune as the 95th largest company in the world. It is the 8th most profitable company in the world and the most profitable in Asia. Petronas now has business interests in 31 countries. Our own NNPC remains a mere joint venture partner, nothing more. Without its partnership with Shell and co. in the upstream sector, NNPC is just an empty shell, a giant toddler. The IOCs love it that way. Many state-owned oil companies are conquering the world; our own NNPC is just a centre for distribution of contracts. Expect the IOCs to defeat the PIB, using our legislators who care more about their allowances than the national interest.

The second message I got is how porous our security is. Nigeria is a country where all kinds of things happen. Militants were building camps in the Niger Delta and amassing weapons of war and our security agencies did not pick it up. The killings in Jos and Boko Haram insurgency in North always make a fool of the security agencies. Armoured tanks are illegally imported into Nigeria via our ports. A consignment was discovered recently. Even the 18 containers bringing all kinds of arms from Iran were discovered recently and I have a haunch some must have escaped into the country in the past. Right under our nose, Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) plotted and successfully carried out twin bombings in Abuja on Independence Day.

Another militant leader, John Togo, has emerged and has been bombing pipelines recently. Nigeria is a loose country, security wise. Yet we devote hundreds of billions as security votes every year, both at state and federal levels. And there is no local government in Nigeria without a security attaché. So how come we never pick up the signals? To make matters worse, even confidential government meetings and memos are in the hands of Shell. God save Nigeria. I imagine what is in the hands of foreign governments and even the militants themselves. We were once told that the arms being used by militants were from our military armoury in Kaduna. Incredible, this country. So now we know we are not safe. National security information is not safe. We are fully bugged and we know not.

Finally, the arrest and detention of the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, for despoil has confirmed what I always suspected: that there is no big difference between African dictatorships and Western democracies. If we are all subjected to the same temperature and humidity, we are likely to react the same way. Assange was curiously arrested for despoil when he started releasing the diplomatic cables. A British court refused him bail. Yet a man accused of murdering his wife while on honeymoon in South Africa was granted bail by a British court same week. If it was Robert Mugabe that did that to a journalist in Zimbabwe, there would be more and more sanctions for “political victimisation”. I love liberal democracy, don’t misunderstand me, but obviously every country watches out for its own interest. There are double standards sometimes, as we can all see.

I have never been a fan of WikiLeaks because I believe every country is entitled to state secrets, but I was very happy with the leaks on Nigeria. I am patiently waiting for the Chief MKO Abiola case. I want to know how he suddenly died in a meeting with Susan Rice and Thomas Pickering, two American agents who said they were in Nigeria to negotiate his release. It would be good to know who prepared the tea Abiola drank shortly before his death. For that, I’m falling in love with WikiLeaks!

And Four Other Things,

DDC Missing
The daring raid on direct digital capture (DDC) machines at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, has further exposed the security lapses at the nation’s airports. It is the worst possible news you could hear about the sensitive equipment which is meant for voter registration. At a time when the whole world is so cynical about our ability to organise free and far elections, the last you want to hear is that the all-important equipment has been stolen. The excuse is that it is the “rats” who normally pilfer cargoes that stole the machines, thinking it was an ordinary cargo. How do these “rats” gain entry into security areas? Who works hand-in-glove with them? What kind of country is this?

Another Police Murder
A trigger-happy policeman, this time around a whole DPO, allegedly shot and killed Citizen Femi Best last Sunday at the Mushin area of Lagos. His offence? Best was said to have brushed his car, so the DPO, who was in mufti, reportedly gave him a very good chase, caught up with him somewhere at Onipanu and snuffed life out of him. Femi was a 31-year-old man with a young child. He was said to be the bread winner of his extended family. Another life snuffed out by those who are supposed to protect our lives. The other day, it was Modebayo Awosika whose life was terminated by a trigger-happy policeman at Lekki. These things happen all the time all over the country. Only few incidents get into the media. Why does it keep happening? My guess: because justice is never done.

Aganga’s Shame
What’s the difference between Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and Segun Aganga? One has balls; the other doesn’t. Sanusi, the CBN governor, has always had my respect, but the respect doubled when he was threatened and quizzed by the federal lawmakers over his statement that 25 per cent of Federal Government overhead (not the entire recurrent expenditure, not service wide votes) goes to the National Assembly. He refused to be cowed. “My name is not CBN governor. I am ready to quit,” he said. Oh my God! We need public officers who can be so sure of themselves and who are ready to leave office at any time. It is a shame that Aganga, the Minister of Finance, who reputedly made his mark at Goldman Sachs, allowed himself to be intimidated to the point of blaming the media for misquoting him over the decision to cut recurrent expenditure. He didn’t deny when it was reported. More curiously, a few days after his National Assembly encounter, Aganga said again that he would cut recurrent expenditure. Some people just don’t have balls.

Oshiomhole, Take Heart
My heart-felt sympathy to the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, whose wife, Clara, lost a three-year battle with cancer last week. You need to know Clara. She fell in love with Oshiomhole when he was nobody. He was a mere textile factory worker in Kaduna! That is what I call true love. Are we ever going to find a cure for cancer? It’s a shame.

Editor of THISDAY, Mr. Simon Kolawole, has been named among the next generation of African leaders by The Banker magazine

The gun that changed the world

Posted by 9jabook.com on December 12, 2010 at 10:02pm

In 1980s Afghanistan, a Tajik commander attended the funeral of a soldier who’d been killed in their war against the Soviet Union.

At one point, he picked up the dead man’s Kalashnikov rifle and presented it to his younger brother. With a ceremonial flair, he asked the man, “Do you want to be a mujahid?” The man took the gun and replied, “I am going to take my brother’s weapon. I am going to be with you.”

The importance of the weapon was more than simple ceremony. Later, when elements of the mujahideen evolved into al Qaeda, the first class taken by new recruits was a lesson on the Kalashnikov..

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mikhail T.Kalashnikov holds his world-famous AK-47 assault rifle

The Kalashnikov, or AK-47, is the gun that assassinated Sadat, armed the PLO and allowed Idi Amin to become the devil of Uganda. A favorite of both Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, the AK-47 and its offshoots are by far the most plentiful guns on Earth, with over 100 million in circulation — one for every 70 people on the planet.

In his fascinating book, “The Gun” (Simon & Schuster), Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist C.J. Chivers shows how the world was forever altered by the pursuit of automatic weapons and especially the invention of the Kalashnikov — an easy-to-use automatic rifle that allowed any one man to possess the firepower of an army.

By the time the AK appeared, of course, military men already were enamored with the machine gun. In the 1860s, North Carolina’s Dr. Richard Gatling invented “the first reasonably effective rapid-fire arm” in the Gatling gun, which weighed about a ton and was operated by a bulky hand crank.

The Gatling gun proved effective in battle, although many rejected it for its size, fearing that it would slow an army’s movement. (Before the Battle of Little Bighorn, Lt. Col. George Custer was offered Gatling guns but opted for single-shot rifles instead, likely leading to his massacre.)

The world got a taste of the Gatling’s power in 1879, when the British faced down 20,000 Zulus. Outnumbered four to one, the Brits started shooting, and Zulu lines “began to melt away.” The Zulu’s were conquered in a half-hour, with only 11 British casualties.

The next advance came via New Englander Hiram Maxim, who sought to design a weapon with a trigger instead of a hand crank. Realizing that the energy from a gun’s recoil could be used to power the crank’s tasks, he created the Maxim gun, which weighed less than 150 pounds and became the world’s first truly automatic weapon.

With the Maxim, the British showed how easy killing had become. In 1893’s Matabele War in South Africa, they killed 1,500 natives without suffering a single casualty. In another battle, four dozen policemen with four Maxims reportedly killed 3,000 Africans.

Despite — or sometimes because of — their clear success as killing machines, the global verdict on automatic weapons remained divided.

Theodore Roosevelt, who had been a colonel in the Spanish-American War, wrote of hearing a particular sound in battle.

“I leaped to my feet and called, ‘It’s the Gatlings, men! It’s our Gatlings!’ Immediately the men began to cheer lustily, for the sound was most inspiring.”

But the ease and brutality of murder inspired opposition as well. In 1898, 23-year-old British journalist Winston Churchill watched his countrymen kill somewhere between 10,000-20,000 Sudanese in one day — all before noon, in fact — while losing only 48 of their own men.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mikhail T.Kalashnikov holds his world-famous AK-47 assault rifle

Churchill wrote of seeing men “destroyed, not conquered, by machinery.”

“At such sights,” he wrote, “the triumph of victory faded on the mind, and a mournful feeling of disgust grew stronger.”

Certain governments were too entrenched in tradition to truly embrace the leap forward. The US was still enamored by the romance of the frontier rifleman, and through World War I, the British — despite their own experiences — made bayonet training the priority for new soldiers, even though they caused only 0.5% of casualties in that war.

With Germany issuing 16 machine guns to their infantry battalions while the British offered only two, the Brits’ hesitation would have devastating consequences.

In one 1916 battle, the British marched in formation, equipped with bayonets, against a German army with machine guns. In the first hour, 30,000 British soldiers were killed or wounded.

One German soldier later said that, “The English came walking, as though they were going to the theatre or on a parade ground. We felt they were mad.”

While rifles changed little during World War II, the Soviets held a secret contest among their designers during the conflict, challenging them to create a light, compact, reliable gun that was made from few parts and easy to assemble and use.

Sgt. Mikhail Kalashnikov led the team that ultimately created the weapon that bears his name, and which became a much-touted tool for Soviet propaganda. The exact details of the weapon’s creation, though, are impossible to discern, due to the secrecy and lies of Josef Stalin’s government. It was surely more of a socialist team effort — possibly assisted by captured German weapons and designers — than the Kremlin ever let on.

The Kalashnikov’s critical feature was that, unlike most automatic weapons, its parts were designed to be loose fitting, which drastically reduced instances of jamming. It also consisted of very few parts, making it so easy to use that Soviet schoolboys — who were trained in these matters — could dissemble and reassemble the guns in 30 seconds flat.

Reliability and ease of use combined with two other factors to make the AK-47 the world’s most popular gun: Stalin relied on manufacturing the weapon to boost the Soviet economy, which led to eventual overproduction; and Nikita Khrushchev’s use of it as political currency, as he regularly sent arms to smaller nations in order to curry favor.

In 1955, the Soviets included in the Warsaw Pact the condition that all Eastern Bloc nations use the guns supplied by the Soviets. Many of those nations then set up their own factories for the production and export of the weapons, laying the groundwork for global saturation.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mikhail T.Kalashnikov holds his world-famous AK-47 assault rifle

In September of that year, Khrushchev made a massive arms deal with Egypt that delivered the guns to the Middle East, and which soon lead to deals with Syria, Iran, and Iraq.

By the time of Vietnam, the US had failed to keep pace in the world of small arms development.

The American military — which dismissed the AK as being of “limited value” — had long been addicted to heavy ammunition, and larger ammo required larger guns. In the 1950s, they developed the 12-pound, 4-foot-long M-14, thereby committing themselves to a big weapon for their next war. But by that point, modern warfare relied more on rapid fire than precise fire. That required bullets to be smaller.

It wasn’t until the 1960s, when the AR-15 — later the M-16 — finally was rushed into production to address the new reality of war.

Chivers’ section on the subsequent development of the M-16 is enough to make any American’s blood boil. While today the world’s second-most prominent automatic weapon, the M-16 was far from combat ready when it was made standard issue for soldiers in Vietnam. It was shockingly susceptible to rust and, worse, jammed with alarming and deadly frequency.

Developed in a non-competitive environment — the AR-15 was chosen because it was the only automatic rifle available — the gun was tested with different ammo than it used in the field, and decisions about it were made by systems analysts who had no experience in weaponry or combat, and who failed to test it for possible rusting.

Politics also played an odd role in saddling our soldiers with the weapon. An arms dealer working with Colt’s Firearms Division, the AR-15’s manufacturer, arranged for the Air Force vice chief of staff, Gen. Curtis LeMay, to sample the gun at an outdoor party.

Three watermelons were set up as targets, and when struck, the first two “exploded in vivid red splashes,” leaving the general so impressed that he didn’t bother shooting the third, which was eaten instead. LeMay was promoted to chief in 1961, and in 1962 the Air Force bought 8,500 AR-15s from Colt.

In 1966, soldiers arriving overseas found their rifles “hard to clean, fussy and prone to untimely stoppages.” Inspectors from Colt later reported that the weapons were in such bad shape that they were “literally rotting in troops hands.”

By the summer of 1967, the Viet Cong were killing 800 US servicemen per month, with the majority of deaths coming from small-arms fire: the VC’s far-more-reliable AK-47s.

Chivers lays out numerous scenes in which trapped American soldiers faced enemy fire while trying to revive jammed weapons.

In one, a gunner with no counter fire to cover him is shot in the head. As the assistant gunner moves to take his place, he’s hit as well. Another company sees 40 rifles jam during one battle, leaving a quarter of them unable to return fire.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mikhail T.Kalashnikov holds his world-famous AK-47 assault rifle

Increasingly, as Marines faced enemy bullets, they needed to “thread together several sections of narrow metal pipe . . . and plunge the rod down the barrel” to dislodge trapped shell cases — the same movement, Chivers notes, that “Revolutionary War soldiers had to do to reload muskets nearly 200 years before.”

Marines began to develop cuts on their hands from using their M-16s as clubs.

The situation got so bad that healthy Marines would walk among the wounded, asking if their guns still worked so they could trade. Others bought black market M-14s from rear echelon and aviation units. One platoon commander, conceding to the M-16’s ineffectiveness, ordered his company to “fix bayonets” before advancing on the enemy.

Chivers quotes a soldier, in an interview with the Asbury Park Evening Press, saying, “You know what killed most of us? Our own rifle. Practically every one of our dead was found with his rifle tore down next to him where he had been trying to fix it.”

Meanwhile, the AK-47 continued to spread around the world, as Eastern Bloc countries, now with massive stockpiles, sold off some and simply lost track of many others. When Palestinian terrorists took the Israeli Olympic team hostage with AKs in 1972, the world got its first horrifying look at the automatic weapon’s next fans.

In the ensuing years, the Kalashnikov became the weapon of choice for Middle Eastern terrorists and African despots, with AK coming to mean “Africa Killer” as African nations increasingly found themselves embroiled in brutal, oppressive and nightmarish civil wars.

Chivers includes a blood-curdling section on Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army, which not only terrorized the nation through the arming of soldiers as young as 9 — who had no trouble mastering the simple-to-use AKs — but had these children intimidate villages by choosing citizens at random and slicing off their noses and lips as a warning to others.

In 2001, the UN did a study that found that small arms had been the main weapons in 46 of the 49 major conflicts in the 1990s, in which 4 million people were killed — 90% of them civilians.

Toward the end of the book, Chivers includes a horrifying seven-page scene detailing an assassination attempt in Iraq in 2002 that — at a time when more than 50 nations and countless terrorist groups rely on the weapon to further their causes — illustrates the Kalashnikov’s human cost from a victim’s point of view.

Chivers says that today, the AK has achieved a point of full saturation, with even the American military, understanding that their soldiers will have to face it in battle, training their people in its use.

As with nukes and land mines, the reduction of automatic rifles is hoped for, but ultimately futile. With some of the first AK-47s ever made still in service in Afghanistan, it’s a gun that has altered global politics for multiple generations.

There is only one factor, Chivers says, that will bring about the end of the AK: time. Perhaps a century from now, when enough rifles have been backed over by trucks, exploded in war zones, or simply erode with time, only then will the violent legacy of the Soviet Union’s most lasting accomplishment finally come to an end.

YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION?

The proliferation of the cheap, dangerous AK-47 has contributed to Third World instability. Got four grand? You have a militia.

Troops: In the Congo, 4 million have been killed in ongoing wars between the army and local warlords. A regular government soldier makes only $10 a month, double that (with the promise of spoils) and you have a happy mercenary. Get a dozen. Initial cost: $240

Transportation: Your choice here will be a Toyota Hilux pickup truck, popular for being indestructible and big enough to carry all your men. (There was even a conflict named after them, the Toyota War between Libya and Chad). Doesn’t matter if it’s 20 years old, it will still run. Cost: $1,000

Weapons: Prices vary, with some (likely apocryphal) reports saying an AK can be bought for $30 in parts of Africa. But one reliable figure is that when US troops seized the hard drive of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, it showed that he planned on arming 2,000 fighters with AKs at a cost of $202 per. Cost: $2,424

Dress: A good scarf, bandana or keffiyeh protects soldiers from dust, obscures identities and generally instills fear. Cost: negligible.

Total: $3,664

Rapper Ja Rule gets two-year jail sentence are naija rappers well behaved or just being naija !

Posted by NollywoodMohits on December 14, 2010 at 3:07am

looks like our Nigerian Rappers are very well behaved citizens in a Country of lawlessness go figure who was last in jail ? MI , Ikechukwu ? ? ?

Rapper Ja Rule is headed to prison for two years after pleading guilty Monday to driving with a loaded gun after a 2007 concert.

"This isn't a good day, fellas," the one-time Grammy nominee said grimly as he left Manhattan Supreme Court.

The plea to attempted weapon possession in the second degree, a violent felony, came just before his trial was scheduled to start.

Ja Rule, 34, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, was busted with a loaded .40-caliber Taurus pistol inside his Maybach as he and two pals left the Beacon Theater on the upper West Side following a Lil Wayne & Friends concert in July 2007.

Lil Wayne, real name Dwayne Carter, was also arrested for gun possession that night. He took the same plea as Ja Rule but received only one year in jail. He was released from Rikers recently after an eight-month stint.

Ja Rule, wearing jeans and a black sweater, spoke in a low voice as he answered the judge's questions. He will get a similar prison time to the one accepted by Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who shot himself in the leg inside a night club.

Ja Rule faced 3 1/2 to 15 years in prison had he been convicted for the top charge in trial.

Ja Rule's road manager, Dennis Cherry, is expected to cop a no-jail plea by the end of the month, a source said. The other man who was arrested in the rapper's car, driver Mohamed Gamal, has died of cancer.

The Queens-born rapper, whose last album came out in 2005, is due back in court Feb. 9 to schedule a sentencing date. Justice Richard Carruthers instructed him to make his next court appearance and stay out of trouble until he's sent Upstate for two years to be followed by a year and a half of post-release supervision.

"If you fulfill all of these conditions, I will sentence you as I have indicated," the judge told him.

Rapper Ikechukwu Fights At Rehab Night Club

Posted by NollywoodMohits on December 12, 2010 at 9:22pm

with an alias as

killz . Rapper Ikechukwu who is rumoured to have beaten up Dbanj and then kicked out of the mohits stable is at it again.

A report from Linda Ikeji's blog below explains more !

My goodness, I witnessed this with my own eyes...and what a sight it was. After the MAMAs last night, a few friends and I decided to end the night at Rehab Club on Ajose Adeogun and well, a few minutes after we got there...the fight with Ikechukwu and a bouncer ensued. They wouldn't let him through the gates and he flipped. (They let Naeto C and Sauce Kid in a few minutes before Ikechukwu arrived). It looked like it was deliberate...!..

Ikechukwu's such a nice fellow but when he gets angry...wow! During the fight, he took his shirt off, his very expensive sun glasses fell (btw, I have the pic of the guy who took Ikechukwu's glasses incase anyone wants it back...:-)). The bouncer he fought with bled through the nose...I hear Killz has a black belt...or maybe the bouncer didn't really want to fight him back?

Anyway, the rapper has since apologized for his behaviour.
Ikechukwu addressing the issue on twitter this morning and more pics when you continue...

Ikechukwu's tweets about the incident...
If u party at rehab pls don't talk to me. That club is dead to me. A bouncer put his hands on me for what ?? fcuk REHAB aNd all its fcuking people

"I stOpped going to rehab cos not only does the club just suck as far as space is concerned but it always has one funny smell. Then I just can't stand the people running the club. Feel among dey vex them. If I no gree be ur friend no be by force na. Ah jo oo"

Just wanna apologize to my fans for bringing myself so low yesterday. This is not the kind of character I portray or expect anyone else to. People will always test u. Show strength with restraint. God bless

Our homebased Footballers are Dying on the pitch Ogoli’s death ruins Ocean’s first league win

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on December 12, 2010 at 9:16pm

Ocean Boys recorded a long overdue first win of the season when they defeated Niger Tornadoes 2-0 on Sunday. But the victory came at a cost as the club’s left back, Emmanuel Ogoli died during the match.

Ogoli slumped on the pitch in the 39th minute of play and after efforts at resuscitating him failed, he was rushed into an ambulance. He was confirmed dead on the way to the hospital.

photo:late Ogoli & okwaraji

The former Bayelsa United skipper only recently returned to first team duties with the former league champions after suffering a knee injury in a week two Premier League game against Plateau United at the Samson Siasia Stadium on November 14 following a clash with Plateau United’s Obinna Nwokolo..

He subsequently missed his side’s 5-2 drubbing at the hands of Rangers in Enugu but resumed training way ahead of schedule and even got to play a part in his club’s 1-1 draw at home to Sharks.

He also featured in penultimate weekend’s 1-0 loss at Gombe United and returned to the starting line-up in yesterday’s game against Niger Tornadoes, which turned out to be the last of his career.

Teammates in shock

“I still can’t believe what happened to Emma. One second he was standing and the very next he was lying flat on the pitch,” narrated Ocean Boys goalkeeper, Femi Thomas amidst tears.

“There was no challenge of any sort; no one touched him. He just went down in the (penalty) box not too far away from where I was standing,” recalled the former Nigeria junior international who, like the rest of the Ocean Boys squad, didn’t get to hear the sad news until the end of the game.

“We weren’t told anything until after the match. We were all shocked; we are still in shock and there’s no way we can celebrate,” added the former Nasarawa United shot stopper.

But for Ogoli’s death, there would have been every reason to celebrate Sunday’s win at the Samson Siasia Stadium as it was the first win of the campaign for the side from Brass and lifted them off the bottom of the league table ahead of the Jos based duo of Plateau United and JUTH, who both suffered defeats at the weekend, the latter, a 2-0 home loss to Kwara United.

History of deaths

Ogoli’s death won’t the first time a Nigerian player will be dying while on club or national duty with one of the earliest cases occurring back in August 1989 when Nigerian midfielder Samuel Okwaraji collapsed and died while playing against Angola in a World Cup Qualifier. An autopsy later showed that the 24-year-old had an enlarged heart and high blood pressure.

In the Nigerian league, back in October 1995, Julius Berger forward Amir Angwe, who five years earlier was the star of BCC Lions’ CAF Cup Winners Cup success, collapsed and died at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos.

He was later diagnosed to have died of a heart attack which was the same diagnoses for John Ikoroma who died while playing for Middle East club Al-Wahda in February 2000.

There was also the case of Warri Wolves goalkeeper Orobosa Adun, who slumped and died during a training session in May 2009, as well as Endurance Idahor, who in March this year collapsed while playing for his Sudanese club Al Merreikh and died on the way to hospital.

Naija Girl wants to go to the North Pole Vote for HER !

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on December 12, 2010 at 8:48pm

I remember sitting in Mr. Kayode’s geography class in secondary school, an atlas in hand looking at political boundaries; countries way beyond my reach. “I will reach the North Pole,” I often said to friends and family, oblivious to the fact that I was sitting in tropical sub-Saharan Africa and had never seen snow at that time.

Never in my wildest thoughts would I have imagined realizing my specific childhood dream was a few votes and judges away.

Reaching the Arctic Circle seemed a precursor; this imaginary line I’d only traced fingers across on a map. Over the summer, I took a road trip along Sweden’s eastern coast towards the Arctic Circle with my parents.

We finally arrived unceremoniously at the “sign”. Getting out of the car, Mom casually tossed her black scarf over her shoulders, sunglasses resting on her face.

“Where is it?” she asked.

“This is it,” I responded.

“The Arctic Circle?” She wasn’t sure..

“Yes!”

“But where is the thing?” She prodded.

“There is no ‘thing’. It’s an imaginary line.” I tried to explain.

“Hmm…Ok then, let’s get back in quickly before a moose gets us…”

--

As an experienced travel writer, blogger, and photographer, documenting our polar expedition exceptionally through engaging narrative reports and vivid photography will be an absolute honor and once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and Quark Expeditions.

The wind will bellow in an eerie yet welcoming fashion. Frigid waves will trash against the ice breaker, intimidating yet slowly guiding us north. We will sail past dramatic towers of icebergs, awe struck. Whales will surface to observe us visitors, ensuring we proceed reverently. Voyeuristically taking in fluffy white polar bears and corduroy brown walruses through my lens, a glimpse into the wonders of our world will be offered up.

I will blog, tweet, photograph, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Facebook like crazy too...sharing our incredible expedition through social and traditional media outlets with everyone who dares to dream beyond the status quo.

I will scribble "epiphanies" into a spanking new journal, filling pages with dreams and experiences leading up to this grand moment.

Finally landing on centuries-old ice at the top of the world, I will scream at the top of my lungs… “I’m a loooong way from Africa!”

Please cast your fair and honest vote to fulfill this once unreachable dream.

http://www.blogyourwaytothenorthpole.com/entries/15

MAMA 2010: 2 Face Idibia and Fally Ipupa Lead List Of Winners at awards

Posted by NollywoodMohits on December 11, 2010 at 11:13pm

Nigeria’s 2Face Idibia and Congolese superstar Fally Ipupa, led the winners at the third edition of the MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel (MAMA). The artiste took home two trophies apiece at ceremony which was held at the Eko Expo Hall, Lagos on 11 December 2010.

Nominated in four separate categories, Fally Ipupa scored wins for Best Video (Sexy Dance) and Best Francophone act while 2Face, a former MAMA winner from 2009, picked up trophies for Artist of the Year and Best Male.

Nigerian vocalist Sasha scored Nigeria’s first ever win in the Best Female category bringing to a halt Kenya’s dominance over the last two years. While Nigerian R&B duo P-Square (Nigeria) added yet another MAMA trophy to their awards cabinet – taking home Best Group for the third year running! Rising Nigerian star Mo Cheddah notched up her first win in the hotly contested Brand:New category which recognises rising stars tipped by MTV for success.

Meanwhile, Cabo Snoop became the first ever Angolan winner at MAMA 2010, taking home the prize for Best Lusophone act. The inaugural Best Anglophone award went to Kenyan Gospel breakthrough artist Daddy Owen, signalling the first time a gospel artist has won a MAMA.

The Song of the Year was won by South African pop/R&B outfit Liquideep for their hit song Fairytale. The brand new MAMA award category for Best Performance of the year was won by Big Nuz, the South African house trio making waves all over the continent.

The prestigious Best International act was received by Eminem who accepted the award via satellite from the USA. The MAMA Legend award, won by the late, great Miriam Makeba, was presented by Public Enemy founder and hip hop pioneer Chuck D.

The 2010 MAMA awards opened with an explosive performance by Maybach Music CEO, Rick Ross, and closed with an unforgettable rendition of All I do Is Win featuring T-Pain, Rick Ross, Da LES and 2Face – a world first. In keeping with the tradition of the awards, the show featured an array of electrifying collaborations between artists from different parts of the continent, mixing up music genres, and cultures. Among the collaborations were Nigeria’s 2Face and South Africa’s The Parlotones. The performance of Banky W’s Lagos Party saw South Africa’s Big Nuz, Angola’s Cabo Snoop and Paul G and DRC’s Barbara Kanam also hoping aboard the stage.

Commented Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa, “Tonight’s MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel was a joyful and uplifting celebration of African youth culture and music’. Andre Beyers, Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Africa summed up the awards, ‘The diversity and talent of the performances this evening was a reflection of the vast and rich talent pool that Africa has to offer. We at Airtel are proud to partner with the MTV Africa Music Awards as it is a platform for the youth and young at heart in Africa, enabling them to showcase their talent to a global audience.’

Among the performers at the 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel were: 2Face (Nigeria), Banky W (Nigeria), Barbara Kanam (DRC), Big Nuz (South Africa), Cabo Snoop(Angola), Daddy

MAMA 2010 WINNERS IN FULL
Best Anglophone – Daddy Owen (Kenya)
Best Francophone – Fally Ipupa (DRC)
Best Lusophone – Cabo Snoop (Angola)
Artist of the Year- 2Face (Nigeria)
Best Female – Sasha (Nigeria)
Best Male – 2Face (Nigeria)
Best Video – Fally Ipupa (DRC): “Sexy Dance”
Best Group – P-Square (Nigeria)
Brand New Act – Mo’Cheddah (Nigeria)
Best Performance – Big Nuz (South Africa)
Song of the Year – Liquideep (South Africa): “Fairytale”
MAMA Legend – Miriam Makeba (South Africa)
Best International – Eminem (USA)

We say congratulations to all the award recipient...

Malpractice....Coming Soon
Blend De Luxe Concepts

Military kills Abia kidnap kingpin

Posted by 9jabook.com on December 12, 2010 at 8:22pm

The suspected leader of kidnap gangs in Abia State, Obioma Nwankwo, popularly known as Osisikankwu, was yesterday killed by the military task force deployed to the state by the federal government. The news of his killing led to wild jubilation among residents of Aba and Umuahia. His death marked another success in the efforts of the military task force to rid the state of gangs that have made life difficult for the people of the state and almost destroyed social and economic activities in the area. Deputy army public relations officer and spokesperson of the task force, Sagir Musa, confirmed the death of Mr. Nwankwo yesterday. He said the alleged kidnapper was shot dead at Obokwe market, in Ukwa West Local Government Council, by a joint police and military patrol team.

A broken myth..

Mr. Musa said that the military had laid an ambush for the kidnapper for some days after they learnt of his presence in the bush near the market. The kidnapper’s killing brought to an end a myth surrounding him in Aba that the man could neither be caught nor killed. The commissioner of police in Abia State, Jonathan Johnson, also told NEXT that the body of the gang leader will be displayed to reassure residents of the state that he was truly dead.

Another source said the task force got closer to Mr Nwankwo two days ago when his accomplice who used to supply him arms was arrested. After his arrest, arms including two GPMGs, three RPG bombers, 20 pieces of RPG bombs, 93 empty magazines of AK47 guns, 150 litre keg filled with live ammunition and eight pieces of AK47 guns, were recovered from the accomplice. Mr. Musa said last night that the body of the notorious kidnapper had been taken to Umuahia to be shown to government officials and would be publicly paraded today in the city. Hundreds of people trooped to the military barracks in Aba last night waiting to see the body, but they left disappointed when the body was not presented. Mr Nwankwo, who was arrested a few months ago, was inexplicably released by the police and since then, had tormented the people, who ascribed daredevil abilities to him. Mr Musa described Osisikankwu’s killing as a landmark achievement of the military operations in the state and promised that the task force will not relent until it flushes out the remaining kidnappers in the area.

State of anarchy

Kidnapping in Abia State reached new heights on July 11th when four journalists and their driver were kidnapped on their way from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, after attending the National Executive Council meeting of the Nigeria Union of Journalists. Among the journalists was Wahab Alabi Oba, the chairman of the Lagos State Council of the NUJ. The Senate president, David Mark, subsequently demanded that a state of emergency be declared in the state. He also advocated the application of ‘jungle solution’ to the rising level of kidnappings and armed robbery to serve as a deterrent to others, saying the rule of law could not be applied in a jungle situation. Senior officials of the International Police Organisation (INTERPOL) were invited by the federal government to help track down the kidnappers. The journalists were later released although an initial ransom demand of N250 million was not paid...

A few days before the nation’s 50th independence anniversary, gunmen seized 15 primary school children on their way to school. The abductors had contacted the owner of the private school and demanded a N20 million ransom before the children could be released. However, the students were set free on the day of the nation’s independence anniversary. Mr. Nwankwo’s gang was reportedly responsible for the kidnappings.

Wikileaks Revenge: How Amazon Defeated Anonymous ? the DDOS attack that was repelled

Posted by technology on December 12, 2010 at 5:21am

The website-attacking group "Anonymous" tried and failed to take down Amazon.com on Thursday. The group's vengeance horde quickly found out something techies have known for years: Amazon, which has built one of the world's most invincible websites, is almost impossible to crash.

Amazon has famously massive server capacity in order to handle the December e-commerce rush. That short holiday shopping window is so critical, and so intense, that even a few minutes of downtime could cost Amazon millions.

So Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) has spent years creating and refining an "elastic" infrastructure, called EC2, designed to automatically scale to handle giant traffic spikes. The company has so much spare server capacity, in fact, that it runs a sideline business hosting other websites. Its customers include the New York Times, Second Life, Etsy, Playfish, the Indianapolis 500 and the Washington Post.

Until last week, WikiLeaks was one of Amazon's website-hosting customers. Amazon gave WikiLeaks the boot in the wake of the site's controversial release of a trove secret U.S. State Department documents...

That put Amazon in the crosshairs of Anonymous, a group that originated on image-board site 4chan.com, which organizes swarms to try to crash the websites of those it deems enemies. In the past, Anonymous has taken down several high-profile sites, including those of the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America.

This week, Anonymous launched takedown campaigns against organizations that have shunned the site WikiLeaks. Under the banner "Operation Payback," the Anonymous group successfully crashed Mastercard.com and strained the websites of Visa and PayPal. (Mastercard and Visa's transaction networks -- which run completely independently of their websites -- were unaffected.)

Anonymous makes its attacks not through hacking, but merely by directing a giant traffic surge to the targeted website. That's called a DDoS attack, short for distributed denial-of-service -- and it's hard for most websites to defend against. The attack itself isn't sophisticated. It's the equivalent of simply hitting the "refresh" button on a website thousands of times, which attackers use automated programs to do.

But Amazon's entire business model is built around handling intense traffic spikes. The holiday shopping season essentially is a month-long DDoS attack on Amazon's servers -- so the company has spent lavishly to fortify itself.

Anonymous quickly figured that out. Less than an hour after setting its sights on Amazon, the group's organizers called off the attempt. "We don't have enough forces," they tweeted.

Instead, they decided to go hammer PayPal's API, which seems to be holding up fine under the attack. "These attacks have at times slowed the website itself down, but have not significantly impacted payments," a PayPal representative said.

Top GTB Executive In Lagos Kidnapped

Posted by 9jabook.com on December 12, 2010 at 4:11am

Men of the Underworld in Lagos have kidnapped Mr. Akin Ogunbiyi, the General Manager and Head, Energy Group at Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. photo: Released kidnapped kids in the Abia saga

Rumours gathered are that Mr. Ogunbiyi on saturday in the wee hours of the morning on Lekki expressway at about 2.am after he parked his car to ease himself on the road .

Other Reports say the nappers might have been tailing him and his parking on the road in the dead of the night gave them an immedaite window of opportunity .

The kidnappers have made a demand of N20 million naira for his ransom.

Guaranty Trust Bank is yet to release a statement .

LOVE WAR: Lebanese, Briton battle over Nigerian lady

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on December 10, 2010 at 2:30am

He snatched my wife, two kids, says Yatim

Juliet and Wood
.
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• I’m only assisting her, he couldn’t pay kids’ school fees -Wood
A battleline has been drawn between a Lebanese and a Briton resident in Nigeria. Their quarrel is over a Nigerian lady, Juliet and her two children, who the Lebanese is laying claims to. The Romeos are really at war with each other over Juliet. The angry Lebanese, Walid Yatim, is alleging that the Briton, Mike Wood, snatched his wife and took custody of his two children.
He has even threatened a showdown, with the ‘intruder’ if he fails to hands off and let his family be. According to Yatim, he married Juliet on March 24, 2005, at Apapa Marriage Registry, Lagos. The marriage is said to have been blessed with two girls, Serina, four, and Sonia, two.
The aggrieved Lebanese said he was ready to call it quits with the marriage but vowed not to allow another man to adopt or claim his children while he is still alive. He narrated how his estranged wife, on two occasions, attempted to use scissors and razor blade to kill him.
“I was sleeping one day and woke up to see her holding a razor blade, which she wanted to use to attack me. I managed to collect it from her. She used a plank to hit me on the head. Another problem I had with her was as a result of the children. She was not taking care of them. One day, she told me how people were making jest of her, saying she married a white man and had nothing to show for it. So, I gave her N50, 000 to buy things for herself.
“That was when she was pregnant of my first daughter. I had to rent a flat for them. I even assisted her brothers and sisters, when they needed some money. She fought me everyday and threatened to kill me. But I must say that I had both good and bad times with her.
“Our problem began when Juliet failed to treat me as her husband. Strange visitors, both men and women, usually filled her room. “I go to work at 1 pm and returned at about 4 am. I tried to stop them from visiting her but she told them not to listen to me, saying I was a stupid man. I took her to Lebanon and we spent about N1.5 million. I need my children. She made the children to bear another surname. They can bear Walid or Yatim but not Vincent. Vincent is my wife’s surname. I don’ t understand the meaning of that,” Yatim fumed.
The marriage certificate with registration number 103262 made available to Daily Sun showed that it was actually contracted at Apapa Local Government, Apapa, Lagos on March 24, 2005. Juliet, who is playing the cupid, has, however, debunked the allegation of attempted murder against her. Daily Sun also went to Apapa police station to inquire if Yatim reported any case of attempted murder or threat to his life against Juliet. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Mr. Mohammed Ali, a Chief Superintendent, who identified the couple, explained that it took him time to make peace between the couple.
Narrating what transpired between them, Juliet told Daily Sun on phone that Yatim abandoned her and the children and travelled to Lebanon where he stayed for about two years. According to her, during that period, he never cared to know whether the children were feeding or going to school. But Yatim denied the allegation, saying he was always giving her a monthly allowance of $700, which he claimed to have sent through the Western Union Money Transfer.
But when she was asked how she spent the money. Juliet screamed: “Yeeeh! Jesus Christ o! Which dollars? It’s a lie (laughs). Why did he treat me like that? Is it because I’m a Nigerian woman that made him think he could do anything and go scot-free?”
She continued: “When people come to Nigeria, they treat our women the way they like. I’ve not even seen him (Yatim) for four months now. Any way, if God says I will marry Mike Wood, why not? I will go ahead and marry him, he’s a good man.”
Meanwhile, Yatim has written a petition through his lawyer, George Ohioma Chambers, Apapa, to the office of the Special Adviser, Ministry of Youths, Sports and Social Development, Ikeja, dated November 26, 2010.
The letter, entitled: “Act capable of moral destruction of minor”, signed by the principal counsel of the chambers, George Ohioma, reads in parts:
“Our client informed us that the marriage which is blessed with two (2) children, namely, Serina and Sonia that has hitherto, been blissful suddenly got dramatic turn, when Mrs. Juliet Walid began to have extra –marital affairs with Mike Wood. Our client verily informed us that against his advice and or counsel, Mrs. Juliet Walid with other young girls, she termed sisters and or relations…smoking cigarette …doing other things and or act (s) in the presence of these minor is beginning to affect them negatively.”
When Daily Sun approached Mike Wood, a fleet manager in a company located on Wharf Road, Apapa, Lagos, he claimed that Juliet and her kids were abandoned by Yatim, when he travelled to Lebanon. He berated Yatim for allegedly abandoning his wife and two children. According to him, he only assisted Juliet and her children and prevented them from further sufferings. He claimed to have paid the children’s school fees, fed them and their mother, as well as provided a comfortable house for them to live in.
The Briton also disclosed that he bought one Honda CRV for Juliet. “I’ve been working here for the past 17 years. It’s very sad that he is making such allegation against me. We even discussed him at home. I’ve not even met him. The woman is very nice. She’s faithful and truthful to me. I’ve rented a house for her and the children. I ’m a good person.
They were married before and lived together but the man abandoned her and stayed in his country, Lebanon, without caring for his wife and children. The woman has found someone else. I did not know her until they parted ways for close to two years now. The woman has been taking good care of the children as far as I’m concerned. I’m helping her. I will continue to assist her. I love her. We will get married after she must have divorced the Lebanese.
The most important thing for the children is to get good education. That man couldn’t even pay their school fees. I’m a divorcee. I married in England. I’ve three children, two females and a male. They are all happily married,” he said. The Lebanese claimed to have arrived Nigeria six months ago, only to hear what he described as ‘rubbish’. And he said it was as a result of that, that he stopped giving his wife money. He has, however, vowed not to allow anybody claim his children in form of adoption as he has enough money to send them to school and feed them.

Timaya:I Will Become A Pastor

Posted by frank adeche Mr Netchurch on December 10, 2010 at 10:03pm

I’m a very rich boy’

Evidently, Enetimi Odom, the singer popularly known as Timaya has come a long way from the Toyota Camry 2.2-cruising artiste of 2007, one of the benefits of the commercial success that trailed his debut album, True Story. When E-Punch got to his well-appointed 5-bedroom duplex in Marwa Gardens, Ikeja, Lagos, last Monday afternoon, he was greeted by a glittering Range Rover Sport 2010. Black and shimmering, the ‘expensive machine’ was parked in front of the duplex. Inside, a white Escalade truck valued at about N10m sits in stately grandeur.

“I love cars,” he quips. No doubt. Before he relocated from Port Harcourt, Rivers State where he had cultivated a cult-like following, Timaya was always an enviable sight in Lagos in his bullet-proof Jaguar and BMW X5, both of which, he says, he has given to his sisters. “I get tired easily of cars. When I bought the Escalade last January, I was awed by its sheer functionality and beauty and I thought I would drive it for a very long time. But a few months later, I got tired of it and bought the Range (Rover) which has been like my official car for some months now.”

Apparently, Timaya lives the roller coaster life he sings about. However, life has not always been this sweet for him. In Plantain Boy, the lead single off his current album, De-Rebirth, he talks about his humble beginnings, and how rich he is now which does not beggar much belief going by available indices. But, how rich is he really? Without as much as a twitch, he says, ”A few years ago, I could not afford three square meals; I had nowhere to stay; I was actually squatting with a girlfriend who would send me out of her house at the slightest offence. But now, my story has changed.

“For every man, three things are fundamental, clothes, food and shelter. Those are no longer my problems. So, I‘m a very rich boy. I don‘t need to be as rich as (Mike) Adenuga to know that I am rich.” Timaya admits that sometimes he looks at himself and wonders whether his life is a fairy tale because “Whenever I look at my account, I get scared and ask myself, is all this money for me?”

The plantain boy

Between his first two albums, True Story, and Gift and Grace, a discerning listener could glean Timaya‘s background and episodic musical odyssey. In Plantain Boy, he lays it bare. From an unheralded plantain seller, he became renowned as Timaya. Even when nobody gave him a chance, he succeeded. Life is good now yet detractors, which he almost always gripes about, are trying to pull him down. The AC in the living room droned on. A member of his posse was playing snooker in the sports section of the expansive sitting room while a nearby lectern hoists a plethora of award plaques.

Calm and without his characteristic scowl, Timaya, in retrospect, says he was born into a relatively comfortable home where his father was a top banker while his mother was into different businesses, one of which was supplying plantain to hotels in the city. They lived in an estate in Port Harcourt and had as neighbours President Goodluck Jonathan among many other prominent Nigerians. However, the family was to suffer a reversal in fortunes when his father, having retired after 32 years as a banker, was duped of his retirement benefits and life savings.

“He didn’t want to stay idle,” Timaya recalls, “So, he decided to invest his money in the petroleum business but he was duped and he never recovered from it. Since 1995 till he died last year, he was always ill. That incident affected us so much that we had to depend on my mother‘s plantain business. Despite the fact that I was quite popular in Port Harcourt back then, I would always help my mum hawk plantain. I didn‘t see it as anything then because we had to survive. I don‘t want to experience that life again.”

The advocacy loses traction

Apart from the autobiographical and sometimes conceited slant of Timaya‘s songs, a recurring theme, at least in his first two albums, was the unconcealed anger at the perceived insensitivity of the federal government to the cause of the Niger Delta people. This state of mind was very pronounced on the album sleeves which bore a scowling, furious Timaya.

Through the far-reaching instrumentality of his music, Timaya became an audacious advocate of the emancipation of the Niger Delta. This afternoon, he still talks with fervor and animation about the Niger Delta; how it formed his perception and outlook on life and how he feels there is so much potentials wasting away there. ”I am proud of my heritage; I am a Bayelsa man, a true born Niger Deltan; we say it as it is. I don’t look at anybody’s face before saying my mind. I am blunt.”

Maybe he was, but in De-Rebirth, the bluntness and advocacy have lost traction; the Egberi Papa 1 (the number one town crier) of Bayelsa seems to have come into so much wealth that the pains of the past have been obliterated from his memory. He agrees that indeed the vagaries of life have made him lose touch with ‘the people down there‘. “My people love me so much because I sing about what affects them and because I made Bayelsa popular before Goodluck Jonathan became president. Apparently, times are changing. Those were the issues that needed to be addressed at that time and I addressed them.

“I sing about what goes on around me, everyday realities. I don‘t sing love songs except for when I was in love with a girl in the past. I‘m not feeling any love now. Truly, in De-Rebirth, I didn‘t do much for the Niger Delta people because I felt it was time to cut across, break into the international market. But I will always be their mouthpiece.” On the sleeve of De-Rebirth, the angry mien has dissolved into an impassive expression.

In love with Mo’Cheddah

Timaya loves fast rising songstress, Mo’Cheddah, but not in the Empress Njamah kind of way. According to him, ”I look at all Nigerian female artistes and I really haven‘t seen any that‘s good because they are all trying to be a diva yet, they don‘t have what it takes. Beyonce is a diva; which Nigerian act can you compare with her? The only female artiste that trips me is Mo‘Cheddah. She‘s got everything and she‘s not trying too hard to be a diva. She‘s a great performer; she’s real and she will go a long way.”

‘I am going to end up in the church’

About a year ago, Timaya‘s celebrated relationship with actress, Empress Njamah, hit the rocks. That did not come as a surprise anyway, given the dynamics of the union. It was the manner they fell apart irredeemably that stunned many. In the process of retrieving his car key, Timaya was alleged to have fought Empress inside a Festac, Lagos church. For somebody who was accused of such indiscretion, Timaya says unequivocally, “I will end up as a pastor. I have always had a close relationship with God and as such, could never have fought anybody inside a church. As a kid, I told God that I’d like to be a superstar and he has granted my wish. I have also told him that the next level for me is to be the Governor of Bayelsa State.”

“Are you serious?” E-Punch interjects. ”Yes, I am. I‘m just doing everything I am doing now to be rich and no matter what I do, I‘d still be rich. In fact, my pact with God is that after serving my people, I want to spend the rest of my life serving him. I want to build a church in Nigeria and abroad where I‘d worship him till I die.”

IBB To GEJ: Your Conscience Will Judge You On Zoning

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on December 10, 2010 at 3:38am

From the office of the President to the smallest office in the land within the PDP, zoning was applied in order to encourage and promote sense of belonging in every member,” General Ibrahim Babangida has said in a statement resembling his final pitch at persuading President President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to allow the north exclusive rights to the party’s Presidential ticket.

The Goodluck Jonathan campaign had yesterday countered Babangida’s argument in a letter he addressed to PDP Chairman, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, where he urged the Chairman to respect a court ruling on zoning in the PDP. The Jonathan Campaign office statement however said Babangida was ill formed on the High Court’s ruling.

But Babangida in a statement signed by the Director, Media and Communications, IBB 2011 Presidential Campaign Organisation, Prince Kassim Afegbua said: “From the office of the President to the smallest office in the land within the PDP, zoning was applied in order to encourage and promote sense of belonging in every member...

"If they are now trying to remove the ladder with which they climbed to the leadership rostrum, they have their consciences to battle with. They alone carry the moral burden and the weight of history would come to bear on them.

"It amounts to crass opportunism, gullibility, and bad-spiritedness for anyone to attempt to shift the goal post at the middle of the game.

"It is not an accident of history that all foreign agencies are dishing out unpleasant statistics about Nigeria ‘s declining economic rating.

"The failing economy with refurbished statistics, presents to Nigerians home and abroad, a very gloomy picture that requires strength of character, courage and vision on the part of the leader to help address these obvious misnomers that are staring us in the face," the statement said.

Babangida had threatened to leave the party alongside his supporters if the party does not reserve its Presidential slot for the north.

Naijaleaks: Pfizer Used Kano Kids as Guinea Pigs Aondoakaa fingered in Massive coverup

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on December 9, 2010 at 11:45pm

“He who comes into equity must come with clean hands”. But it appears Nigeria`s former attorney general; Michael Kasse Aondoakaa assumed office with unclean hands and while in office, he entangled himself in unethical practices, thus prompting the world largest drug manufacturing company Pfizer, to blackmail him into settling lawsuits brought against Pfizer, stemming from medical tests with the oral antibiotic Trovan conducted on children living in Kano during a meningitis epidemic in 1996 or risk exposure.

According to Pfizer Country Manager Enrico Liggeri,

“Pfizer had hired investigators to uncover corruption links to Federal Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa to expose him and put pressure on him to drop the federal cases”. ...

‘Pfizer's investigators were passing this information to local media, XXXXXXXXXXXX”.

“A series of damaging articles detailing Aondoakaa's "alleged" corruption ties were published in February and March”.

“Pfizer had much more damaging information on Aondoakaa and that Aondoakaa's cronies were pressuring him to drop the suit for fear of further negative articles”

Entire Text:

Monday, 20 April 2009, 16:00
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000671
SIPDIS
DEPT PASS TO USTR-AGAMA
DEPT PASS USAID AFR/SD FOR CURTIS AND ATWOOD
BAGHDAD FOR DUNDAS MCCULLOUGH
TREASURY FOR PETERS, IERONIMO AND HALL
DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS AND 3130/USFC/OIO/ANESA/CREED
EO 12958 DECL: 04/20/2034
TAGS ECON, EINV, EAID, ETRD, PGOV, NI

SUBJECT: NIGERIA: PFIZER REACHES PRELIMINARY AGREEMENT FOR
A $75 MILLION SETTLEMENT

Classified By: Economic Counselor Robert Tansey for reasons 1.4(B&D)

1.(C) Summary. In an April 2 meeting with the Ambassador, Pfizer lawyers Joe Petrosinelli and Atiba Adams reported that Pfizer and the Kano State government had reached a preliminary settlement on lawsuits arising from medical tests conducted with Trovan (oral antibiotic) on children living in Kano during a meningitis epidemic in 1996. Petrosinelli said Pfizer has agreed to the Kano State Attorney General's (AG) settlement offer of $75 million, including a $10 million payment for legal fees, $30 million to the Kano State government, and $35 million for the participants and families. According to Adams, several final details need to be worked out on the mechanism for payment. Pfizer strongly recommends setting up a $35 million trust fund for the participants to be administered by a neutral third party and for the $30 million for the Kano State government to be used for improving health care in the state. Pfizer underscored that the Nigerian representatives wanted lump sum checks and that Pfizer is concerned with potential transparency issues. The next step is a meeting between high-level Pfizer officials and Nigerian side at a neutral location to work out the final details. End

Summary.

2. (SBU) On April 2 Pfizer lawyers Joe Petrosinelli and Atiba Adams and Pfizer Nigeria Country Director Enrico Liggeri met with the Ambassador and EconDep to discuss the status of settlement negotiations. Four lawsuits were brought against Pfizer stemming from medical tests with the oral antibiotic Trovan conducted on children living in Kano during a meningitis epidemic in 1996. In Kano State Court there is one civil suit and one criminal case and in the Federal High Court there is one civil suit and one criminal case. Since 2006, Petrosinelli and Adams have been briefing the Mission on the status of the cases.

Settlement Reached

3. (C) Petrosinelli reported that Pfizer had tentatively reached "an agreement in principle" on the Kano AG's settlement offer of $75 million. Adams explained that the parties agreed that the $75 million would be broken down as follows - a $10 million payment for legal fees; $30 million to the Kano State government; and $35 million to participants and families. Petrosinelli noted, that Pfizer has worked closely with former Nigerian Head of State Yakubu Gowon and that he has played a positive mediation role with Kano State and the federal government. Petrosinelli said Gowon also spoke with Kano State Governor Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who directed the Kano AG to reduce the settlement demand from $150 million to $75 million. Adams reported that Gowon met with President Yar'Adua and convinced him to drop the two federal high court cases against Pfizer. (Comment: In 1966 Gowon became the head of state following a military coup that deposed Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who had come to power via an earlier military coup. He was head of state from 1966 to 1975. He now plays an elder statesman role in Nigerian politics. End Comment.)

More Discussions Needed

4.(C) According to Adams, details need to be worked out on the mechanism for payments to the Kano State government and participants because Pfizer is unwilling to give a lump sum payment. Pfizer is concerned with transparency issues and is pushing for a $35 million trust fund for the participants to be administered by a neutral third party and the remaining $30 million to be used for improving health care in Kano state. Pfizer underscored that the Nigerian representatives were pushing for lump sum checks and Pfizer will not agree to that. Pfizer is considering rebuilding Kano's Infectious Disease Hospital where the trial was conducted and working with health care nongovernmental organizations. Adams suggested that the trust fund for participants be administered by a neutral third party because he expects "additional" participants to come forward after they hear about the settlement. The Ambassador suggested Pfizer work with NGOs already working in Kano State and for Pfizer to consider working with local NGO implementing partners that the USG has used because of their transparency record.ABUJA 00000671 002 OF 002EconDep provided Pfizer a copy of the U.S.-Nigeria Framework for Partnership document as a guide for existing projects and partners in Kano. Petrosinelli explained that the next step was a meeting at a neutral location between high-level Pfizer officials and the Nigerian side to work out final details and conclude the settlement.

Pfizer Exposes Attorney General

5.(C) In follow up to the April 2 meeting, EconDep met with Pfizer Country Manager Enrico Liggeri in Lagos on April 9. (Note: Liggeri has years of experience in Nigeria because his family operated a business in Lagos from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. He spent most of his childhood in Lagos. End Note.) Liggeri said Pfizer was not happy settling the case, but had come to the conclusion that the $75 million figure was reasonable because the suits had been ongoing for many years costing Pfizer more than $15 million a year in legal and investigative fees. According to Liggeri, Pfizer had hired investigators to uncover corruption links to Federal Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa to expose him and put pressure on him to drop the federal cases. He said Pfizer's investigators were passing this information to local media, XXXXXXXXXXXX. A series of damaging articles detailing Aondoakaa's "alleged" corruption ties were published in February and March. Liggeri contended that Pfizer had much more damaging information on Aondoakaa and that Aondoakaa's cronies were pressuring him to drop the suit for fear of further negative articles. 6.(C) Liggeri commented that the lawsuits were wholly political in nature because the NGO Doctors Without Borders administered Trovan to other children during the 1996 meningitis epidemic and the Nigerian government has taken no action. He underscored that the suit has had a "chilling effect" on international pharmaceutical companies because companies are no longer willing to conduct clinical testing in Nigeria. Liggeri opined that when another outbreak occurs no company will come to Nigeria's aid.

7.(C) Comment: Pfizer's image in Nigeria has been damaged due to this ongoing case. Pfizer's management considers Nigeria a major growth market for its products and having this case behind it will help in efforts to rebuild its image here. Final discussions on the $30 million and $35 million are likely to be tricky because the Nigerian side wants to control who gets the money, not Pfizer. The U.S. Mission will continue to advocate for transparency in settling the case and also note to GON authorities that Pfizer must abide by the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and cannot simple hand over large sums of money to state and local officials. Petrosinelli and Adams will get back to the Mission on what further assistance may be needed. End Comment. 8.(U)

This cable was coordinated with ConGen Lagos. SANDERS

Nollywood is dying Emeka IKe

Posted by NollywoodMohits on December 10, 2010 at 12:00am

Who doesn't know Emeka Ike? The Nollywood lover boy/badboy is one of the stars you must have missed on your TV screen for quite a while due to the alleged lull in the industry. Morakinyo Olugbiji had a chat with the father of three in Lagos on Sallah Day.

It's been quite a while I saw u feature in a new movie,

No body is making any movie in Nigeria at the moment and that's why you have not seen me featured in any lately. I'm trying to re-strategize. Part's of the problem has to do with the problem in AGN and I'm hoping that once the court delivers its judgment, I will take back my position in AGN as President. Then, we will restructure everything in order to restore the industry back to its rightful place.

So you are still in the AGN struggle?

Yes, the struggle is not over until it's over. I and my team are a law abiding people and for us the only way to go about issues that bother around legality and illegality is to go to court. any other measure you take is illegal and criminal and not acceptable. And as we speak now, there is Status Quo the court has ordered that nobody should do business with anybody parading himself as AGN's president. So, having anything to do with anyone claiming to be the president of AGN is doing so at his or her own risk pending when the court will determine the right president of AGN.

What i hear every now and then is that the movie industry is undergoing a lull, what's your opinion?

One can not underestimate that fact. Nollywood is not undergoing a lull as a matter of fact, the industry is dead right now. if you know how much Nollywood has been trampled upon you will know that there is no movie made right now that is structured on the Nollywood you and i use to know. What you see going on right now are perhaps the small boys around the industry in those days making some of the few movies you have around now. They love the art and since they have not been given any chance decide to call their friends together to do some low budget films. They try to feature a couple of known faces. They are just trying to sustain the business that has been crippled, bastardized, trampled upon and hijacked.

You have been known to always play a bad boy or lover boy role, but i think you are getting more matured even though the look is still there, will your roles in movie change now should a script come your way?

Well like you said, it's true that I'm looking more matured. I will also want you to know that I have now broken into Hollywood too. Talking about the roles I use to play, if i still look the role why then can't I play the role? I just came back from one of the sets of a movie which i did in Hollywood with Hakeem Kazeem who starred in Hotel Rwanda, Jimmy Lewis of PHAT Girls and a host of other top Hollywood personalities. It's titled "Feat of Destiny." It also featured Kera O'Brian of Law and Order. She was my girlfriend and manager in the movie...

You said that Nollywood is dead; don't you think that is too much of a conclusion?

It is dead! By every instrument of measurement Nollywood is dead. If you are an industry that produced a hundred movies monthly in the past and now you don't make seven movies in a month then you have a problem; that's 7/100. That's a failure. Forget the fact that a few like Desmond Elliot, Uche Jumbo, Monalisa Chinda, Stephanie Okereke, Emem Isong and a few others are trying to release movies. Theirs is just a solo struggle of some artistes who love what they do. You see, those are not even producers; they are the talents. So at the end of the day, the real producers themselves are not making movies any more. Where are the likes of Chico Ejiro, Zeb Ejiro, Fred Amata, Paul Obasele, Jetta Amata, Teco Benson, Fidelis Duker and others? I heard the other day where Chico Ejiro was saying 'people are now going to the Cinemas and the industry is churning out good films', but ask him, which movie has he taken to Cinema in 10 years? They said Paul Obasele is doing Eko Festival or whatever, what film has he produced in the last ten years? These people are no longer making any input to the industry and that's negatively affecting the industry, yet they are the producers. The industry is being manipulated by a few who know how the industry works and have decided to joined forces to go to the government in the name of representing Nollywood without even letting others know about their acts. That's criminal. So by now you should know that Nollywood has stopped making movies in Lagos . That's basically why we've not heard Idumota or Ebinpejo Lane on your TV in a long time. So that's how long it was for Lagos . Equally, Onitsha ; Iweka Road , Pound Road and others. That's how long it was for that area. The only few people in business now are the Yoruba film makers. And they need to really watch it before they start to face the same problem the Igbo movie makers are facing. Also government was part of the killing. When the existing Nigerian Film Censorship Board Chairman rose up one day and say that if you are a distributor of movies, stop distributing until you pay me 5million Naira. That was a red alert. He scared them away. Now, what you have now are people watching DSTV Africa Magic yet everyone was watching, no body talked. The movie industry Emeka Mba met in its buoyancy; he came in as the DG of film censorship board and killed it. Do you know that Emeka Mba was the content provider for Africa Magic?

So I guess it's no longer accurate to say Nollywood is the second largest producers of movies as UNESCO positioned it?

We are number two because at the time UNESCO gave us that recognition and that was exactly the time the industry was about going down. You know, we started dying when Africa Magic entered the business. My colleagues were not in the know of what was going on; they kept wearing dark shades and blowing big grammars on the pages of newspapers.' Africa Magic is wonderful, it's this, it's that, blah, blah, blah.' but today, Africa Magic has taken their product to their end users. Do you get the logic? The man that buys the 'Akara' (bean cake) doesn't come to buy from you again, he goes to somebody else to buy the Akara which you produce yet you don't get the money. That's how the death of Nollywood started. Now, Africa Magic's networking has gone round the whole of Africa and beyond. And because the film censors board helmsman is getting returns from Africa Magic, there is no way the exploitation can stop. How can HiTV pay royalty when Emeka Mba is perhaps a friend of HiTV? Almost everybody handling the regulation of the Nigerian film industry is there to play politics and embezzled as much as they can.

Now the image of the country which we've managed all these years has been rubbished, misconstrued, maligned, disgraced and tarnished. What do i mean by that? Now, they make movies on Africa Magic where you have South-Africans answering Nigeria names and acting the roles. And the sad thing about it is that they are treating Nigeria 's core Niger Delta Issues. You hear them using their South-Africa accent to say that Nigerian leaders are corrupt. And I'm asking, what's the DG of the Nigerian censorship board doing? There is a movie on MNET called Jacob's, Trouble or what do they call it where they discussed the Niger Delta issues and I'm wondering who vetted that script. What's the rebranding Nigerian message in that script? An Emeka Ike or any other major Nigerian actor will avoid rubbish the image laundering effort of the government but the country is the case in this movies i just mentioned. Dora Akunyili or Goodluck Jonathan cannot see everything, but he has placed somebody there who has refused to do is job. And the likes of us are not involved in the politics going on so there is little or nothing we can do. We don't even get royalties but go to Ghana, there people are being paid their royalties.

Talking about the 200million dollars promise from Jonathan, what do you think?

Talking about that promise being relistic, i don't want to argue it now. I want to believe that the president did what he did in good faith. In every country of the world there is money set aside for the entertainment industry. Now when you have a movie project that we further contribute to the development of the country, the government we assist you with part of the budget already set aside. They do that in South-Africa. if the same thing is what is going to happen , beautiful! but my only grouse about it is that i don't know if President Goodluck Jonathan gave that money to his brother Ben Bruce because he kept saying 'my brother Ben Bruce.' Also my question is who and who represented Nollywood that day? Even if there is a crisis in Nollywood letters should be sent to some core Nollywood stakeholders so we will know who is collecting the money on behalf of the industry

Christiano Ronaldo the Diver:Bo Larsen Champions League - Top ref reveals most annoying player

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on December 10, 2010 at 2:51am

Real Madrid's Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo is the player Danish referee Claus Bo Larsen nominated.

Larsen blew the final whistle on a distinguished career after he took charge of AC Milan's Champions League clash against Ajax at the San Siro earlier this week...

And with no fear of future on-pitch reprisals, the 45-year-old was free to blast the former Manchester United forward for his habit of diving to win free-kicks and land opponents in trouble.

"He is always out to get a cheap free-kick, especially at home," Larsen told the Daily Mirror.

"We tended to talk in the referee's room about how he would go down easily. We know not to be biased - but we have to be prepared."

Ronaldo famously badgered the referee into sending off Wayne Rooney during the 2006 World Cup quarter-final between Portugal and England, an act which he followed by winking shamelessly towards the bench to confirm his subterfuge.

But Larsen claimed that he was wise to the wily ways of the former Manchester United star - and that Ronaldo knew it.

"When he would lie down after failing to win a free-kick, he would smile at me because he knew I didn't fall for his stunts," added the Dane.

Referee Larsen added that he has plenty of positive memories from his 14 years as a referee, during which he took charge of dozens of Champions League matches - including the 2009 semi-final between Arsenal and Manchester United - as well as 97 international clashes, including England's international against France last month.

And while the relationship between referees and clubs is often portrayed as frosty at best, Larsen insists that he enjoyed a good relationship with one of the trickiest men in the game - Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson.

"I have a good relationship with Ferguson, even though he is always screaming and shouting at referees," said Larsen.

"I'll never forget him coming to hammer on my dressing-room door after a Champions League game at Old Trafford. He simply said: 'That was the best refereeing performance in many years.' It was great."
Eurosport

SiaSia gets Tokunbo Prado JEEP Maigari says no !

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on December 10, 2010 at 2:56am

Samson Siasia's official car became a subject of controversy when the board of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by Aminu Maigari yesterday rejected it before it was assigned to its official designee.

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The salon car which arrived the NFF secretariat on Tuesday, was a subject of debate at yesterday's board meeting as the members insisted it was a refurbished car which would not in any way dignify the status of the new national coach.

Siasia was contracted as the Eagles coach on December 1, and is entitled to an official car as enshrined in the terms of the contract.

Checks revealed that the controversial Peugeot 406 salon is a 2007 model supplied to the federation at the cost of N4.5 million.

Ironically, the supplier of the controversial car is also a member of the current board of the federation representing the south eastern part of the country.

Maigari, who presided over the meeting to trash out matters around the car, was said to be very angry yesterday afternoon.

He said the car offer was at an outrageous cost and a complete rip off. He also said a fairly used car would be a slight to the office of the Eagles chief coach.

He left the Glasshouse after the emergency meeting supported by walking crutches.

Sources said he was not happy with the management of the car issue which he said would project the federation in bad light.

NFF board rejected the car and alternatively, demanded for a new Prado Jeep at a very reasonable cost.

THISDAY learnt last night that the board member involved had similarly supplied two Marcopolo buses to the national team without going through tender. The action is one of the reasons for the investigation of Sani Lulu Abdulahi by anti corruption agency. He claimed he refurbished the car at N1.7 million..

Federation spokesman, Ademola Olajire, however, said he was not aware of the material facts about the ownership of the car.

"It has not been handed over to Siasia, and neither is his name written on it", he said last night.

Diet or die,' world’s fattest woman is warned after hitting FIFTY STONE

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on December 9, 2010 at 4:28am

Mother of one, 49, urgently needs brain scan but is too big for an MRI machine
Bedbound for last three years after doctor changed medication

A woman believed to be the world's fattest at 50 stone (700lbs) is facing
a battle to shed weight after being told by doctors she could die.

Terri Smith is confined to her bedroom in her Ohio home unable to move, stand or roll over by herself.

Suffering from severe headaches which doctors fear could stem from a brain
problem, Terri urgently needs a brain scan - but is too big to fit
inside an MRI machine...

To undergo the scan and receive the life-saving treatment she may require, Terri is now embarking on a weight loss regime of exercise and
healthy eating.

She relies on her husband Myron, 44, and oldest daughter Najah, 30, to do everything for her.

The 49-year-old must be washed, fed and dressed on the bed and wears nappies which her daughter and husband change.

'My husband is my guardian angel,' said Terri.

'He's stuck by me through everything. Most men would have left a long time
ago and who could blame them but Myron is a living saint.'

Terri was always large - at age seven she weighed almost eight stone (112lbs).

'My nickname at school was fatso,' she said. 'No one wanted me on their sports team and that didn't help the fat.

'We grew up on soul food and no one thought anything about it.

Devoted: Terri with loving husband Myron who changes her nappies

By the age of 20 Terri weighed 18 stone (252lbs) but she remained active
and held a job as a mental health care worker for 20 years.

'I used to help people wash, feed and dress themselves,' she said.

'Back then I never thought that the tables would turn and someone would be doing all that stuff for me.'

After marrying her husband in 1986 Terri was big but happy.

'I prayed for a man like Myron and he came to me,' she said 'He's kind, gentle and he loves me for who

'I am. Even now he tells me I'm pretty, that man is amazing.'

But she continued to eat the same diet and kept on growing, while her husband and daughter stayed slim.

Terri, who suffers severe headaches, needs an MRI scan to check for a
potential brain tumour but is too big to fit in any scanners or into the
doors of a hospital clinic.

She faces a race against time to lose weight in a bid to qualify for gastric surgery to save her life.

When Terri was 32 she developed severe arthritis in her knees and couldn't walk for more than a few steps.

She was given an electric wheelchair and the lack of exercise made the weight pile on.

'I used to walk everywhere and be on my feet at work but suddenly I was trapped,' she said.

As the years passed her weight ballooned until she could hardly stand.

Then, after her doctor changed her diuretic medication, she gained a
staggering 6.5 stone (91lb) in 30 days. She suddenly found herself
bedbound and has been trapped for almost three years.

Dr. Dariush Saghafi said: "I have been seeing Terri for six months.

'Caring for someone of Terri's size is very difficult. It is very hard to move
and transport her. Hospitals do not have equipment to hold someone of
her girth.

OSHIOMOLE LOSES WIFE TO CANCER

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on December 7, 2010 at 8:43pm

The Comrade Governor of Edo State, Mr. Adams Oshiomole has reportedly lost his wife of many years, Mrs. Clara Oshiomole to Cancer. the woman who was last seen in public
some months back, died of the disease according to a source.

The medium promises to update later. It would be recalled that Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) , Mrs.Maryam Babangida and several unknown persons have died of the cancer in recent times.

Shortly before now, there was wide spread speculations that the governor and his wife may have gone their separate, thereby resulting in Clara’s absence at public functions...

Sources also say this si coming a few days to her daughters wedding .May her soul rest in peace.

Ivory Coast 2 Presidents ECOWAS backs Ouattara Gbagbo should step aside

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on December 7, 2010 at 8:51pm

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) yesterday in Abuja resolved to formally recognise Alassane Dramane Ouattara as President-elect of Cote d’Ivoire.

Consequently, the regional body advised the erstwhile President, Laurent Gbagbo, to respect the sovereign wish of his people and abide by the result of the second round of Presidential elections as certified by United Nations Operations in Cote d’Ivoire and yield power without delay in the best interest of the Ivorien people.Photo:From the right, Presidents Adulahi Wade of Senegal, Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, John Attah Mills of Ghana and Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso during an emergency ECOWAS Summit of Cote D’voire today Tuesday on Abuja.

In a statement after the meeting, which was summoned by President Goodluck Jonathan, the regional group said, “In order to protect the legitimacy of the electoral process, the Summit endorsed the results declared by the Independent Electoral Commission and certified by the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in the Cote d’Ivoire in accordance with Resolution 1765 of the United Nations Security Council, dated 16 July 2007.”

It added that, “In this regard, the Heads of State and Government recognised Mr Alassane Dramane Ouattara as President-elect of Cote d’Ivoire, and consequently, representative of the freely expressed voice of the Ivorien people.”

Decisive action

During the meeting, members reaffirmed their commitment to the relevant provisions and principles of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and condemned in strong terms the attempt to go against the will of the Ivorien people as freely expressed on November 28, 2010.

As part of its resolutions, the meeting applied the provisions of Article 45 of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance relating to the imposition of sanctions and suspended Cote d’Ivoire from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies until further notice.

International community commended

While commending the role of the United Nations Operations in Cote d’Ivoire in the conduct of the elections under democratically acceptable conditions, the group expressed appreciation to the international community for ensuring a rapid and definitive resolution of the crisis. It also urged the Ivorien people, particularly political and administrative bodies, to respect the rights and integrity of the people, including those of the nationals of ECOWAS member states as well as all foreigners within their territory by guaranteeing peace and security.

The Heads of Government at the meeting however did not say what action will be taken should Mr Gbagbo refuse to heed their call for him to quit power.

Two presidents

Last Sunday, Mr Gbagbo, who has the support of the military, was sworn in at the official residence of the President. Hours after, Mr Ouattara was inaugurated in a brief ceremony in a hotel, guided by United Nations troops in Abidjan.

In his inaugural message, Mr Ouattara urged all Ivoriens to remain calm and refrain from any form of violence or intimidation and maintain the confidence reposed in him and his team. He announced that the former Premier, Guillaume Soro, has been re-named to the post.

In addition to the backing of regional leaders, Mr Ouattara has the support of the UN, the European Union, and the United States of America..

The meeting was presided over by Mr Jonathan and attended by Blaise Compaore (Burkina Faso), Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (Liberia); Amodou Toure (Mali); Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal) and Faure Gnassingbe (Togo). The Ambassador of Cape Verde in Senegal, Francisco da Veiga represented his president; the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Goude Adadja, represented the President of Benin Republic; the Minister of Fisheries and National Assembly Matter, Lamin Bajo, attended in place of The Gambia’s president; while the High Commissioner of Sierra Leone to Nigeria, Henry Macauley, represented his country’s president at the meeting.

The Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Cote d’Ivoire and representative of the president of the African Union Commission (AU), Mahama Ouedraogo, attended as observers.

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